Testing device



Feb. 22, 1938. w. WETTLAUFER TESTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CM 0 0@ n Z6 nd 60 .0 0 .J TNL fl aw m Feb. 22 1938., w. L. WETTLAUFER TESTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 William L, LJeZila. by r 41 Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIIZE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for testing golf clubs and other clubs which are manipulated in a generally similar manner.

The principal object is to provide a device which is available to weigh a club to enable the evaluation of those factors which determine, or at least influence, the character of its stroke, where by to facilitate the modification of such factors to such a degree as may be necessary to adapt the club to the requirements of the particular individual.

A further object is to provide a device which is so designed that the principal tests may be made without changing the position of the club in the device.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the features of the invention. Figure 2 is a top View of the device.

Figure 3 is an end view thereof.

Figured is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the main and secondary beams of the device.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail section taken along line G- 3 of Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a vertical section taken along line 1-1 of Figure 4. The device, as illustrated, includes a bracket 1 U which is adapted to be mounted upon a suitable support. A laterally extending arm l l suitably secured to the vertical member of the bracket, the said arm being formed to provide a knife edge l2 The latter supports a main beam l3, the said beam being provided with a central opening M for ac commodating the arm H and being arranged between shoulders l5 and 56 (Figure 5) which are formed upon the said arm. The shoulders l5 and I6 normally hold the beam E3 in cooperating relation with respect to the knife edge H. The opening l4, however, is preferably large enough in diameter to enable the said beam to be lifted to clear, the shoulder l5, whereby to facilitate assembling and dismantling operations. .A secondary beam 57 is suspended from the main beam It by knife edges 18. The latter are formed upon lateral extensions of arms l9 which are carried by the secondary beam and are arranged in shallow recesses 2twhich are formed at the opposite ends of the main beam. One end 2| of the secondary beam carries a weight 22, the Said weight being suspended from the beam by arms 23 which permit it to be adjusted lengthwise of ne beam co-operating relation with respect to a series of graduations 24. A disc 25 is suspended from the end 2i of the secondary beam by a rod the said disc and rod being adapted to support slotted weights 2'! in a conventional manner. A plate 28 having flanges 29 is 'lded from the opposite end 30 of the second ry beam by a hanger M. The end 30 of the secondary beam also carries holders 32 and 33, the former being alcuate in shape and being located in the vicinity of the center of the beam while the latter is in the shape of a hook and is located adjacent the outer end of the beam. Preferably a gripping pad 32a of rubber or other suitable material is secured to the underside of the holder 32 while a similar pad 33a is secured in the holder 33. At its approximate center the secondary beam also carries a depending arm 34. The said arm is arranged between forwardly projecting pins which are carried by the vertical leg of the bracket and includes a lateral ex- The latter is graduated as indicated with respect to the graduations.

Preferably the parts are so designed that the main and second beams occupy their normally balanced posl ions when there are no weights on the disc 25 or extension. 38 and the weight 2 is at the 0 limit of its range of adjustment. It will be apparent, therefore, that in such case the main and secondary beams are balanced as unit for rocking movement upon the knife edge 52 in a plane parallel to that of the vertical member of the bracket while the secondary beam is balanced upon the knife edges !8 for rocking movement in a plane right angles to that of the said vertical member.

The device is available to evaluate the factor which is referred to variously as the hang, feel, or rhythm balance of the club. This factor is dependent principally upon the length and weight of the club and the distribution of such weight. I; may be ascer'eined by placing the club in the device, as illustrated in Figure 1, so that one end of the handle SQ abuts the arm 3C and fits in the holder 32 while the opposite end of the handle is arranged in the holder 33. The holders 3E and 33 support the handle 39, and hence the shaft of the club, in parallel relation with respect to the beam ll. When the club is arranged as described it tends to cause the beams l3 and l'. to rotate as a unit (in a clockwise direction) upon the knife edge l2. The arm 34, however, engages one of the pins 35 to prevent more than a relatively small movement of said beams in such direction. Thereafter the weights 2'! are arranged upon the disc 25 in such an amount that it is possible by adjustment of the weight 22 along the secondary beam to restore the parts to their normally balanced positions. As the parts are balanced in the manner described the arm 34 moves away from the pin 35 which is engaged and assumes a position substantially midway between it and the associated pin. The sum of the weights 2'! plus the weight indicated upon the secondary beam is representative of the hang, feel, or rhythm balance of the club. As such factor is dependent principally upon the weight of the club and the distribution of such weight, (assuming the shaft of the club to be of the desired length) it may be modified to adapt the club to the requirements of the particular individual by varying either the weight of the head or that of the shaft, or both.

In the use of the device in the manner described the angular position of the club head is immaterial. If, however, the device is to be used to ascertain the toe balance of the club, that is to say the moment of inertia of the head about the axis of the shaft, the club is arranged at the outset so that the heel and toe of its head lie in substantially the same horizontal plane, the toe being pointed in the direction of the bracket l0. When the club occupies this position the head tends to rotate the shaft in the holders 32 and 33. Such movement, although prevented by the said holders, causes the secondary beam ll to pivot upon the knife edges 18 away from the plane of the vertical member of the bracket in. It will be apparent, therefore, that during the adjustment of the device to determine the hang, feel, or "rhythm balance of the club in the manner described the secondary beam ll (as soon as the arm 34 is released by the engaged pin 35) will be moved to and remain in an unbalanced position with respect to the main beam 13. Such unbalanced position of the secondary beam, however, does not affect to a material degree the movement of the beams l 3 and l l as a unit in a plane parallel to the plane of the vertical leg of the bracket Ill. The weights 2'! and 22, therefore, may be adjusted as described while the beam I1 remains in an unbalanced position with respect to the beam 13. In this connection it will be noted that the rod 26 which carries the disc 25, the weight 22 and the hanger 3| which carries the plate 28 are all loosely mounted upon the beam ll so that they will remain in normally vertical positions regardless of the angular position of the said beam.

The evaluation of the toe balance factor is made by suspending the Weight 38 (Figure 1) from the extension 36 and moving it along the latter until it causes the arm 34 to return to the full-line position shown in Figure 5. In such position the weight 38 counterbalances the moment of inertia of the club head about the axis of the shaft and the heel and toe of the club are held in the same horizontal plane. When the arm 34 occupies the full-line position shown in Figure 5 the beams l3 and Il are balanced as a unit upon the knife edge 12 while the beam ll is balanced upon the knife edges H3. The sum of the weights 21 plus the weight indicated upon the beam I 1 thus represent the hang, feel, or rhythm balance of the club while the weight indicated upon the extension 36 represents the toe balance, both of the said factors being obtained without the necessity of changing the position of the club in the device. As the "toe balance factor is dependent to a large degree upon the distribution of the weight of the club head, the value of such factor as determined by the device will indicate at what points weight should be added or taken away in order to render the club more suitable to the individual.

If it is desired to determine the balance point of the club it is arranged upon the plate 28 and adjusted lengthwise until it balances in a substantially horizontal position. The balance point as thus determined will be located opposite the hanger 3i and may be suitably marked upon the club shaft.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the device is available to weigh a club to evaluate those factors which influence the manner in which the club is swung. When such factors are determined they may be modified in any suitable manner to adapt the club to the requirements of the particular individual. The device has the further advantage that it may be employed to duplicate clubs and to match those of a set.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for testing golf clubs including a beam, means for supporting said beam so that it may rock in two different planes, means for connecting a club to said beam so that when said beam is balanced said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby said club tends to cause said beam to rock in both of said planes and means for balancing said beam against the action of said club in both planes, whereby to obtain an indication of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

2. A device for testing golf clubs including a beam, means for supporting said beam so that it may rock in two different planes, means for securing the handgrip end of a club to one end of said beam so that when said beam is balanced said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby said club tends to cause said beam to rock in both of said planes and weights for balancing said beam against the action of said club, said weights representing the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

3. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for supporting said secondary beam upon said main beam 50 that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for connecting a club to one of said beams so that it is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement and means for balancing said last mentioned beam against the action of said club, whereby to obtain an indication of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

i. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for supporting said secondary beam upon said main beam so that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for securing the handgrip end of a club to said secondary beam so that said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement and means for balancing said last mentioned beam against the action of said club, said last named means being representative of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

5. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for suspending said secondary beam from the opposite ends of said main beam so that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for connecting a club to one of said beams so that it is supported in a substantially horizontal, position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement and means for balancing said last mentioned beam against the action of said club, whereby to obtain an indication of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

6. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a knife edge upon which said main beam is supported so that it may rock, knife edges for suspending said secondary beam from the opposite ends of said main beam so that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for securing the handgrip end of a club to said secondary beam so that said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement and means for balancing said last mentioned beam against the action of said club, said last named means being representative of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

7. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for suspending said secondary beam from said main beam so that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for connecting the handgrip end of a club to one end of said secondary beam so that said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement and means for balancing said last mentioned beam against the action of said club, whereby to obtain an indication of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club, said last named means including adjustable weights which are carried by said secondary beam.

8. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for suspending said secondary beam from said main beam so that it may rock not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, means for connecting the handgrip end of a club to one end of said secondary beam so that said club is supported in substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizcntal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement, a weight connected to the opposite end of said secondary beam for balancing it in one of its planes of movement against the action of said club, an arm extending laterally from said secondary beam and a weight adjustable along said arm to balance said second ary beam in its other plane of movement, whereby to enable an indication to be obtained of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

9. A device for testing golf clubs including main and secondary beams, a support upon which said main beam may rock, means for suspending said secondary beam from said main beam so that it may rock not not only in the same plane as said main beam but also in a plane transverse of that of said main beam, one end of said secondary beam being graduated, means for connecting the handgrip end of a club to the opposite end of said secondary beam so that said club is supported in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby the said club tends to cause said secondary beam to rock in both of its planes of movement, means for bal ancing said secondary beam in one of its planes of movement against the action of said club, said means including a weight which is slidable along the graduated end of said secondary beam, an arm extending laterally from said secondary beam and a second weight which is adjustable along said arm to balance said secondary beam in its other plane of movement, whereby to enable an indication to be obtained of the values of certain of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of the club.

10. A device for testing a golf club including a beam, means for securing the shaft of said club to said beam so that said club is supported wholly by said shaft in a substantially horizontal position with the heel and toe of its head in substantially the same horizontal plane, whereby said head tends to rotate about the axis of the shaft of said club, means for mounting said beam so that in response to said head the beam tends to move to an unbalanced position and means for balancing said beam against the action of said head, said last named means being representative of the value of one of the factors which influence the character of the stroke of said club. WILLIAM L. WETTLAUFER. 

